The Guy Next Door

Chapter 31

"And I meant what I said last night." I shot back immediately

Grabbing her dangling ankles I swung her back into bed despite her surprised gasp and pulled the covers up to her chin as she thrashed wildly.

"I'm trying to help you here." I explained when she managed to toss the covers off

Her face held a rosy red tint that spoke of her high temperature "What exactly are you looking for in return?" she spat in disgust

Quickly defending myself I answered "Nothing."

"Liar!" she screeched, raising an accusing trembling index finger she continued "You want something from me, everyone always want something from me. My mother wants to live through me, my sister wants to screw every guy I know, my father considers as his personal bank account, Greg got his career boost and Tyler got the title of the cherry popper he so desperately desired. So what do you want Wes?" she asked mockingly

I sat in silence as my mind scrambled to collect the random information she was throwing at me, hoping to piece the puzzle that was Khloe. Could so many people be do cruel to one person? I knew her family wasn't the Brady bunch but it seems each one is tearing something away from her.

She crawled from beneath the sheets, her eyes reflecting the pain from knowing she was just a reliable source to the people in her life. The glossy glaze crippled my heart -it was the same look she had in before breaking down in her office, the look of a woman on the brink of losing it.

"Thanks to this deal you have my name available to you and you've already fùcked me so what exactly would you need? Money?" she questioned

"No." I all but growled hating the thought of her entraining any thought of me wanting money from her

"Then what Wes?!" she shouted aggravated by either my answer or the situation "What do you want from me that you don't already have?"

Lowering myself beside her I didn't hesitate to place my hand on hers, noticing the burning skin beneath my own as I meet her gaze and answered as truthfully as I could. No beating around the bush, no boundaries or safe words, it was a truth that left me vulnerable to the fiery blonde. "I want you."

She snatched her hand away as if I had burned her "I'm not falling for that shit again." she growled

"I'm not playing, I want you." I repeated watching her scramble back across the bed as if I threatened to cut her in pieces.

She slid against the headboard her lips quirked into a a mocking smile and her eyelids once again drooping low as if she were half asleep already "Stop it already Tyler, you've used the same cheesy line before and got what you wanted. My virginity on a crisp sheet to show your friends."

"I'm not Tyler?" I quickly corrected but she either didn't hear me or choose to ignore me

"Showing you won the deal wasn't enough for you either. You had to go take pictures and send it around school then when I broke up with you you acted as if I was the one who betrayed you." she said in a low voice that held the pain of the past

I sat stunned by the sudden knowledge of who this Tyler guy is and what he's done to hurt Khloe. I assumed he had cheated on her or even treated her like crap but this was...I didn't have any words for it. What kind of monster would do such a vindictive thing and to a fragile teenager? Thoughts of strangling this guy ran across my mind and I more than welcomed the thoughts. No man -no matter how young or foolish- should ever be allowed to do such things to a woman and walk away unharmed.

A mocking laugh snapped me from my thoughts of killing the bastard, Khloe shook her head completely out of it "But you couldn't stop there could you?" she laughed humorlessly "You had to go to the tabloids, gave them enough dirt to drag my name across the mud and label me as a frigid woman." she finished as the tears leaked over her half closed lids